Diane Humetewa

The Senate Judiciary Committee held a confirmation hearing on Tuesday for Diane Humetewa to serve as a federal judge in Arizona.

Lawmakers hailed the historic nature of the nomination. Humetewa, who was the first Native woman to serve as a U.S. Attorney, will be the first Native woman to serve on the federal judiciary if she is confirmed by the Senate.

“Ms. Humetewa’s service to the Hopi Nation, which includes work as prosecutor and an appellate court judge to the tribe, runs deep and has remained a cornerstone of her career,” Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), who introduced Humetewa and five other Arizona judicial nominees at the hearing. “She is also a long-time advocate for victim’s rights, which can be traced back to her service as a victim advocate before she attended law school.”

Humetewa, who worked for McCain on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, fielded several questions about her work for her tribe and for her lengthy experience in Indian Country. She also briefly discussed tribal provisions in the Violence Against Women Act of 2013 and the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010.

The hearing lasted about 55 minutes. Audio can be found on the Indianz.Com SoundCloud:

Get the Story:
Humetewa Close to Becoming First Female Native on Federal Bench (Indian Country Today 1/29)
Senate Judiciary Committee Hears Testimony On Arizona Nominees (KJZZ 1/28)

Committee Notice:
Judicial Nominations (January 28, 2014)

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